


Unknown

by Lavender_Kiss



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), The Flash (Comics), The Flash - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Speed Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-04-21 17:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22097683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_Kiss/pseuds/Lavender_Kiss
Summary: Wally West suddenly pops out of the void and is dumped right into the New 52. Confused, lost, and heartbroken, he sees how much everything and everyone has changed. He's lost everything. His name, his friends, his family.His legacy.He doesn't know what to do.
Relationships: Linda Park/Wally West
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This story spawned in 2016 when I saw what they did to Wally West in the New 52. I was angry and so the anger fueled my creative process. Was looking through my folders and found it again and decided to post. IT IS UNFINISHED AND I DON'T KNOW IF I WILL FINISH IT. 
> 
> The title is literally "Response" in my document files so I don't really have a name for this story. If anyone wants to name it, be my guest.
> 
> Don't own the Flash. Wish I did. Go read Geoff Johns run.

Wally was running.

Ancient. An old soul.

He was running from the dark tendrils of oblivion reaching to drag him under. Like greedy hands, wanting to snuff out all life. He was running to not die. It felt like he’d been running for an eternity but he knew it couldn’t possibly have been that long. He’d be dead wouldn’t he?

Dust

Flecks

Energy in motion

Molecules, atoms, matter

Physics in action

God, he was doing it again. Rambling in his head. Science. It had been important before. Forgetting. And in the meantime, oblivion was gaining on him.

Limbo. That’s where he was stuck. That in-between space of grey where time stood still. Can’t move forward. Can’t move backwards.

Yet he was still running.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to give up.

He wanted his Aunt Iris.

Who?

He was a child.

He was a middle aged man.

Tired, hungry, chaotic

Going Crazy

Everything blurred around him, shimmered a bit at the edges, intangible and formless. Bright lights that blended together to form a landscape of smeared colors. He panted. Why was he panting? This place didn’t really have air. Tired. Not really. His body felt fresh but his soul ached. He stared down at his feet. Formerly red clad. 

One

Two

Three

Billion

Steps

Stop he screamed. He thought he screamed but his throat was dry and his lips sealed shut. He hadn’t made a noise since THE BAD DAY. Why bother when there was no one around to listen?

Chatty Wally can never shut up.

He really wanted to talk. Rip this red costume off his body and lie down in the grass surrounded by his friends and family. Cuddle next to [insert name of girlfriend/wife]. What were their names? He couldn’t even remember. 

The red costume had been long ago. Nothing left. Just scraps. [Insert name of person] would be annoyed. Not again.

But who…?

I’m a horrible person. I deserve to fade away.

STOP!

Ghostly fingertips.

He tripped and staggered before he righted himself and kept going. Wally tried to glance back, to see what had tripped him, but only saw Oblivion. Nothing else.

Confusion. 

What was that? He’d never stumbled before. Too smooth a path. Linear and flat stretching on for forever.

A bump on the road?

He tripped again a second, hour, century, millennia later.

Same bump. Same bump!

Circles. All this time and he’d finally realized he’d been running in a never ending loop. A loop that had been disrupted.

By the bump on the road.

Wally was patient. He hadn’t been before but this place was a waiting place and waiting required patience. Wally had become a master at waiting.

The periodic table has X number of elements all lined up…

I once was friends with a girl who turned…

Arrows aren’t smarter than bats…

…pretty lady…report…

Don’t eat too much ice cream or you’ll get…

Hey babe…

…wanted to be just like…

…never…fast…again…die…

Aunt Iris

Fuzzy…memory?

Wally clung to the image and held it close to his heart.

She had dark auburn hair and green eyes and the prettiest smile. No one messed with Aunt Iris. When I was little, she’d take me out shopping and people would confuse her with my mom. I never told her but I didn’t mind. She was my most favorite person in the world. I loved her the best. Even more than that red guy.

I never told her

Never told her

Told her

Her

Why did I never tell her?

15, 14, 13, 12…coming up…7, 6, 5…there!

A second to notice the distant glow. A millisecond to understand. A microsecond to plan. A nanosecond to act.

Arms outstretched.

And he disappeared for a second time in a blinding flash of light. 

After an eternity of being lost.

oOo

My name is Wally. I don’t know where I was born. I don’t know the name of my parents. I don’t know how old I am or where I come from. I do know that I ran for a long time and for a great distance leading nowhere. I know that I was being chased by something. I know that I’m a stranger to this great big bustling city. I know I should be someone/somewhere else.

I know Aunt Iris.

At least, I think I do. I know her face. I know her voice. I know she loves me and will take care of me.

I know I need to find her.

And really, that’s all I really care about right now.

oOo

When he popped out at the other side, he landed on damp grass. His face smeared against some mud and he groaned.

His body hurt all over.

Struggling to turn around, he held himself up with arms that felt like jelly. Spitting some dirt from his mouth, he looked up and took in the cloudy grey skies. Trees loamed over him, tall and dark and rustling loudly, spurned on by the speeding winds. The sun was just behind the skyline, going up or down, he couldn’t tell. 

Where was he?

Freeze. Freezing.

He shivered, goosebumps manifesting themselves along his pale freckled skin. His arms reached to clutch his middle, bare and wet, and he finally realized that he was naked. Surprised, he just looked at himself (time slipping) trying to understand.

Where was his red costume? That thing that he’d had on since forever?

Disintegrated. Remember?

Oh, that’s right. 

He stood on coltish legs and looked around once more. Dark. Dark. Black hole. Dark. Oh! His eyes caught sight of a bright glow further ahead and he walked towards it, taking small hesitant steps. The wind kept blowing. Howling really. It was really loud in his ear. He was so used to silence. Crazy powerful too. It felt like he was going to be blown off his feet any second now. Tornado? His hair was flying all over the place: in his eyes, his mouth. Annoying as hell.

He needed a haircut. He’d never noticed before.

When he finally broke through the dense forest, he dropped to the ground, mouth open as he took in the sprawling city. 

So…big…it hurt his eyes looking at it. Slick, smooth, a river in the distance and a sister city hugging the banks. His heart sped up at the sight of it all. His throat knotted, his stomach felt sick. A tear came down his face and he wiped it slowly. Not even he knew why he was crying. He didn’t even know what this place was. 

It made him infinitely sad.

But city meant food and clothes.

Food

Oh man, he was starving.

Staggering back to his feet, he made slow but steady progress down the slope his eyes set only on the city that he could almost touch with his finger tips.

oOo

Something was wrong.

The city felt…deserted. 

Hugging himself even more, he ducked his head and plastered himself next to a building. Almost as if he was scared of falling off a cliff, he inched his way forward. Thunder and lightening had joined the party. Wally was sure rain wasn’t too far behind. There was something unnatural about the weather but he didn’t care enough to think on it more. He was cold, tired, and hungry.

His feet took him to a store with a glass window. Pressing his face against it, he peered inside and took in the sight of the mannequins and rows and rows of shirts, pants, dresses, and suits. It was dark though and it looked like no one was inside. Frowning, he fiddled with his orange hair. He needed what was inside. It would be easy to just break the glass but, for whatever reason, his mind was telling him not to do it. That it was bad.

I need clothes, he told himself.

The decision was made for him though when a tornado ripped through the street, sending him flying into the window. Crashing through it, he landed on a pile of racks and dolls. Glass punctured his skin and Wally yelped in pain, quickly scrambling up only for more glass to dig into his feet. Tears sprung up in his eyes and he threw himself to the other side of the store where there wasn’t any glass. Outside, another tornado ripped clean through a building, sending bricks and furniture flying.

What was that? Wally wondered as he rubbed his eyes. 

Doesn’t matter. He needed to change and run…

Pressing his lips together, Wally decided not to finish that thought and instead ripped down a shirt and jean from the rack. He took the time to dig the glass from his skin, watching as his skin healed before his eyes. Then he grabbed the jeans and hopped on one leg as he struggled to get the pants on. Stupid hand-eye coordination. Slipping the shirt over his head, he noticed that it was yellow and a thought curled up into his mind before it blew away, like smoke in the wind, before he could really grasp at it firmly. 

Mustard

He liked the color for some reason. Glancing back outside he saw that, yup, it was raining. Free and comfortable to move around now that he wasn’t naked, he wandered over to the shoe part of the store and picked out a pair of black and white sneakers. Another look and he discovered that the place didn’t sell umbrellas but they did have some really thick and warm sweaters. He got one with a hoodie and yanked it over his shirt. It was blue and he caressed it lightly. 

So warm.

Happy now, he started humming as he made a makeshift bed out of sweaters, shirts, and pants in a reclusive and hidden corner of the store to wait out the storm. He nestled down contently and curled himself into a ball. He shouldn’t have but it really didn’t seem up to him because his eyes closed and his body relaxed.

He felt so heavy.

For the first time since he could remember, he rested and slept a dreamless sleep.

oOo

He was woken up by an outraged cry of “Lorna! Look at what that Weather Freak did to our store!”

Alert, Wally dared not move as he strained to hear anything else. Whoever owned this store was mumbling angrily and moving around cleaning up the mess Wally had accidentally made by smashing through the window. He suddenly felt very guilty and scared. 

Escape. Run. Run.

NO! 

Pale and trembling, Wally tried to turn around without making a noise. He crouched on top of his bed and watched through the breaks between the coats as the couple bustled around the wrecked store. Outside, Wally could see that it was bright and sunny and he swallowed. He needed to get out of there. Preferably before the couple found out he’d crashed (literally) in their store. He watched like a raptor and waited until they were far enough away from the window that they couldn’t possibly catch him.

Okay, Wally. Deep breathes. He closed his eyes for a moment, counting down from five.

4…3…2…1…Go!

Pushing himself with his hands and feet, he jumped across a chair and ran out the already broken window. Not even the surprised “Hey!” stopped him and he ran like if oblivion was chasing him again.

Never did he think about running faster.

Never again…

He slowed down when he reached a crowd, sure that if the couple had tried to chase him, they wouldn’t find him in it. Pulling his hood over his eyes, he slumped into himself and walked close to the wall, determined to get as far away from there as possible. For the most part he kept his head down, arms folded close to his chest. Sometimes he thought he heard familiar voices but when he glanced up, there was nothing he recognized. His stomach started eating itself a good while after he’d made his grand escape and he had to stop to hunt for food.

Turned out finding food was easy. Getting it wasn’t. 

He didn’t have money.

After he’d passed the sixth hotdog cart, with its delicious smell driving him crazy, he couldn’t do it anymore. He waited until the line had thin downed and then walked on over.

The young man selling the food barely glanced at him as he finished the transaction with the other costumer. It was only after that he turned his full attention at him and asked politely, “And what can I get you?”

Wally opened his mouth to ask, to beg, when he realized that nothing was coming out. His teeth made an audible snap as his mouth closed quickly and he looked down, internally panicking.

It’s nothing. You’re just rusty. That’s it.

“Kid?”

The name felt like a bullet to his head and he gasped. His hand immediately went up to rub at his head and he gave the man a helpless look.

The man was giving him a worried but equally helpless look. “Uh, you alright?”

Wally swallowed and tried to get his lips wet.

Noticing this, the young man immediately dived down and pulled out a bottle of water, looking hopeful that this would fix the problem. “Here. You look dehydrated.”

Wally took it gratefully and found himself almost drowning with how fast he chugged it down.

“Hey, hey,” the man said trying to make him slow down. “Easy there.” Too late though. He’d already finished it.

Feeling refreshed and his mouth less dry, he couldn’t help but smile shyly, handing the empty plastic bottle back. The man took it, shoving it somewhere inside his cart and stood there, not sure what else to do. Testing his vocals, Wally figured he should at least be polite. “Thanks,” he finally got out after coughing and clearing his throat for a good while.

Surprised at the raspy voice, the man laughed nervously. “Heheh, so you do speak.” He reached to rub at his neck before he froze and gave Wally a once over, a frown on his face. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

At the blank look on his face, the man pursed his lips. “You aren’t like, homeless, right?”

His heart sped up. Not good. Not good. Abort. ABORT!

“I’m hungry,” Wally said instead and he clutched at his roaring stomach. He gave the man what he hoped looked like the most pitiful and helpless look ever. It worked because the young man looked guilty, like if Wally starving was his fault. 

“Right, okay. Here. You can have a hotdog. But you have to promise to tell me how a…uh, how old are you?”

Wally took the offered hotdog and took a bite before he answered. “Um, how old do you think I am?”

The man, although nice and everything, probably wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box because he actually rubbed at his chin thinking hard as he stared intently at Wally’s face. Wally took the time to take three more bites of his hotdog, his body purring in contentment as energy hummed just beneath his skin.

Hell yes. 

“I’d say you’re sixteen.”

Immediately Wally retaliated with, “Wrong dude. I’m actually eighteen.” He actually had no idea but it sounded better to be older rather than younger.

“Really?” the young man said. He shrugged. “My bad.” Noticing the gone hotdog, he gave him another smile. “Good huh? Want another one, kid?”

“Yes please!”

He knew the man was stalling. Fishing for information. As he started in on his second hotdog, the man asked him what school he went to and if his parents knew where he was. Funny enough, the man kept asking questions before Wally could answer so he was content to let the man talk away. He was on his fourth hotdog when the young man got wise.

“Where do you live?”

Immediately, a woman’s voice popped up into his mind and he said, “I’m not supposed to tell strangers my address. You could be a weirdo.”

He grinned as he watched the man sputter and redden. Time to make a hasty retreat. “Anyway,” he said dumping his napkin in the trashcan and offering the really nice man a sheepish wave. “Thanks for the food but I really have to go.”

“Wait. Kid!” the man called but Wally had already turned his back and was running as fast as his newly recharged body allowed without drawing unwanted attention. “Kid!” he heard the man yell but Wally just ignored him and headed deeper into the crowd.

oOo

Food. Check.

Clothes. Check.

Rest. Check.

Now all that was left, he mused as he sat in a park bench, gazing forlornly across at the swan inhabited pond, was to figure out who he was.

Only clue: Aunt Iris

Kicking up dirt, he sighed and slid further down the bench.

“Hi, I’m Wally,” he said, practicing with his raspy voice. He kicked up more dirt. “Hi. Wally. You’re Aunt Iris, right? I think I’m your nephew. Weird huh? I was hoping you could tell me what happened?” 

He held his breath and then let it out.

A bird landed next to him and stared at him with its head cocked to the side.

Wally frowned. “What?”

It chirped and hopped closer, its little red breast fluffing up from the cold.

Robin.

The name startled him and he straightened up. The sudden movement caused the bird to flap its wings in agitation and fly away. He watched it leave, feeling an inexplicable longing. Robin. Rob. Rob…? An image of a boy with black hair, blue eyes, and sun-kissed skin popped up.

The image meshed with the one he had of his aunt. 

His only two memories.

“Aunt Iris?” he started again, his voice more sure but soft and cheerless, “Why did you leave me in that place that has no time or meaning?” The thought he always came back to, even back in limbo. Why was he stuck there? Who had put him there? Why had no one ever come? Depressing thoughts that only bred more depressing thoughts.

Stop thinking about it. But he couldn’t. It was all he ever thought about. Why, why, why --

Distant laughter made him pause and he looked on as a girl screamed and ran around as her mom ran after her. A little boy giggled as the two played and waved his arms excitedly only for the mother to turn and reach out to lift him, throwing him playfully in the air. His laughter attracted the attention of the girl who ran back asking for her mom to do the same to her. On the other end of the pond he could see an older couple feeding the pigeons. A man talked forcefully in his phone. A swan stretched its wings, rippling the water, and trumpeted. The noise caused a chain reaction and there was a stir before it settled down with the flock having migrated to the other side of the pond, closer to where Wally sat. He watched content in the moment’s reprieve.

Peace. Quiet. It was a lazy afternoon and Wally relished it. 

Later. Later he’d figure out a way to track down his aunt. He knew how she looked like. He knew her first name. That would have to be enough.

oOo

Easier said than done.

Wally hadn’t realized that it was possible to be constantly hungry and while the city itself let out an aura of friendliness, something bad had happened a while ago that some parts of the city were a mess and many people reflected the damaged and scarred areas. He wondered what had happened. He didn’t talk to people so he couldn’t ask. The only time he ever really interacted with people was to beg for food.

His hoodie had become his best friend. So had the alleys and roof tops. Having nothing else to do he’d taken to wandering all around, memorizing the layout of the land. It was nice. Central City was big. Keystone was big too but much grittier. More dangerous though. Not as safe.

Well, he’d learned a lot of things that weren’t safe.

Walking around at sunset was a big no-no as he’d found out that first night after the tornado incident. He’d almost gotten mugged but he’d fought back and had made a break for it in one piece. After that he’d made it his job to find places to hole up until morning. Currently, he was permanently residing at the swan park. It was nice and people left him alone if he was sleeping up a tree. One, because they couldn’t see him and two, anyone wanting to do him harm was too lazy to try to reach him up in the branches. He’d need to find a place with a roof soon. He craned his neck up, keeping an eye on the suspicious looking black clouds. 

The search for his aunt had been fruitless. Since he didn’t know her last name he’d borrowed a city phonebook and for two days he’d been going over every single name individually, writing down on a piece of paper he’d scavenged from a trashcan, all the Irises and their phone numbers. He knew it was probably pointless, especially if his aunt was living with someone else. Their name could be listed instead of hers so he’d never find her in the phonebook. Or she could have not offered up her information. Still, he had to do something.

Because he was starting to believe that he was under some time constraint.

Lately he’d been feeling jittery and twitchy. His body hummed with stored up energy and he couldn’t go a day now without shocking himself. It was really annoying. He’d been doing his best to ignore it but he was worried. Maybe it was a side effect? He needed to ask her. She’d know. 

For the up tenth time his stomach growled and he held it absentmindedly as he finished reading the page and closed the phonebook. He pulled the pen from his mouth, capped it, and pocketed it. He gave his note paper one last glance over (five numbers today) and folded it neatly before pocketing it too. Yawning, he cracked his back and stretched like a cat before he rolled off the branch and landed on his feet.

Time to scavenge up some coins for the pricey phone calls. Food could wait.

oOo

“Yes, hello. Is Iris home?”  
“…who is this? Um, my name’s Wally.”  
“…Sorry, wrong number.”

“Hello. Um, am I speaking to Iris?”  
“…Really? Uh, it’s Wally.”  
“…No, you don’t know me. I have to go.”

“Hello sir. May I speak to Iris?”  
“…She’s not home? Okay. Well…do you know a Wally?”  
“…Never heard of him? No, yeah, that’s okay. Thank you for your time.”

“Iris? Oh good. I’m Wally…Do, do you know me?”  
“…I’m sorry to have disturbed you. I’ll leave you to your cooking.”

“Am I speaking to Iris?”  
“…This is Wally.”  
“…Sorry. Wrong number.”

Again, he thought as he hung up on the last phone call and slumped against the glass case of the phone booth. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. 

Nope. The world hadn’t changed back. His Aunt Iris hadn’t materialized.

“Waste of five dollars,” he muttered and exited the booth, intent on looking for actual food now so he didn’t pass out like yesterday.

oOo

It was purely accidental. He hadn’t gotten any goods as a beggar so he’d taken his chance to look at the fancy restaurant dumpsters. They had nice stuff. Sometimes whole dishes that were still warm and delicious smelling. He was just cleaning off an apple with the sleeve of his jacket when an explosion caused him to duck down low. 

After his ears stopped ringing he could hear the noise from the street. Panicking. People started screaming. He could see from his position people running.

Another explosion shook the ground and Wally was scared.

But not scared enough to runaway.

It especially wasn’t an option when he noticed a little boy too scared to move and trapped next to a burning car. Whoever was out there exploding things, they didn’t care about that kid getting hurt. Before he could change his mind, he dropped his load and ran out into the street, his thought only on grabbing the kid and getting the heck out of there.

Focus. Focus.

Mind on the goal, Wally. Mind on the goal.

He lost focus when he noticed the tall man dressed in blue throwing huge boomerangs and causing them to explode all over the place. Laughing. This asshole was laughing. He clenched his fists and bit his cheek.

Not now. Kid first.

So he swallowed his righteous anger and picked up the trembling kid into his arms. Immediately the boy clung to him like a baby monkey and buried his tear stained face into Wally’s sweater. Faster than he wanted, he got them both out of there. He stopped at the park. Whoa, he must have gone faster than he’d thought. When he tried to set him down the boy refused to let go of his neck.

“It’s alright,” he soothed, rubbing small circles on his back. “You’re safe.”

“No, no, no,” he mumbled and just held on tighter. 

Wally bit the inside of his cheek again and sighed. “Well, I didn’t want to do this but you leave me no choice.” Rubbing his hand quickly on his jeans, he pulled back and zapped the boy on the arm. The boy jumped and let go.

Wally grinned and ruffled his hair. “There. Not too bad. Now stay here until I get back. Don’t move. Okay? When I come back I’ll help you get home. Got it?”

The boy looked unsure but Wally needed to make him understand.

“Hey,” he said, his voice making the boy look up at him with unbelievably amber eyes. “What’s your name?”

The boy’s lower lip trembled. “Montgomery”

“Montgomery huh. That's a pretty adult name. Can I call you Monty?” A small, shy nod. “Cool. My name’s Wally.”

“Wally?”

“Yeah. And I’m going to make the bad guy go away. But you have to promise to wait for me here.”

“Really?” the boy asked hopefully.

“Really, really.”

“Okay. I promise I’ll stay here.”

“That a boy.” Wally gave him one last smile before he sped back to the disaster zone.

The boomerang guy was in the same place he left him. Pulling his hood over his face, he stepped out into the street and cupped his hand over his mouth. “Hey! Boomerang guy. Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”

The man turned and gave him the scariest look ever. Wally swallowed but held his ground. 

“And who the hell are you, mate? Playing hero?”

If he didn’t have super fast reflexes, he probably would have had his body impaled with a boomerang. As it was, he managed to dodge and he geared himself up to tackle the man down using his speed.

The other man was fast though. Not super fast but…it was almost like if he knew his next move. Wally crashed into the opposite wall, having failed at taking the man down. He turned, face flushed, trying to catch his breath. The boomerang guy was giving him the oddest look.

“Who in the hell are you?”

“Your worst nightmare,” Wally said cheekily. What? He couldn’t help himself.

Boomerang guy grinned and spat on the ground. “Right. Come here, Kid.”

Taking the landscape in, Wally made a snap decision and ran at a slant. He dived behind a car as a boomerang flew over his head. 

“Are you the Flash’s kid?” the man asked, throwing another round of boomerangs. “Well?”

Flash. Flashflashflash

Sounded so familiar.

“Who are you talking about?” he yelled back instead as he stared at his hands. They were crackling with electricity. He felt the energy under his skin humming. He knew if he let it all out he’d win. 

“Who’s the Flash? Are you shitting me?”

“Uh, no?” Concentrating, he held his hand out and placed it gently on the surface of the car. His arm tingled.

“Well then, you must not be from around here.”

Speed. 

The man was getting closer and Wally squeezed his eyes shut as he concentrated.

Speed.

Suddenly there was an explosion and the car rushed forward. A surprised grunt was all Wally heard as he watched in shock as the car he’d lent some speed to, ripped across the street, dragging the boomerang guy along. It only lasted for a couple seconds but they were more than enough. When Wally zipped on over, the boomerang guy was rolling around trying to get back on his feet. His face was cut and his clothes were ripped. The guy turned and immediately Wally pulled his fist back and punched the guy in the face. He jumped at the sight to of him slumping back down, completely knocked out.

Ow. He shook his wrist. That hurt.

His eyes trailed down to the man and he wondered who he was. He looked familiar.

Flashy blue uniform with white boomerangs. Funny hat.

Wally shook his head and took a step back. People were starting to come out. He needed to get away.

Monty.

That’s right. Making sure that his hood was still in place Wally tapped into his speed again and made a break for it. No one stopped him. No one could even if they had wanted to. He hoped the citizens were smart enough to call the cops though. Maybe he should have stayed to make sure. It didn’t matter now. He was here and he could see Monty sitting in a bench, swinging his little legs and humming happily as he watched the swans.

A pang jolted his heart and he looked down. He felt the absence of something so tremendously it hurt.

A little boy with black hair and almond eyes. A big smile. Someone else next to him. Hugging. Laughing.

“Mr. Wally!” the boy exclaimed and Wally pulled himself out of the stressful stupor and plastered on a bright smile. A smile that turned genuine when the boy raced over and hugged him around the middle.

“You came back!”

“I said I would.”

Monty looked up at him. “Did you beat the bad guy?”

A nod. “Sure did. Now why don’t you tell me where you mom is?”

The guilty look did not escape Wally and he sighed. “Monty. What were you doing all alone?”

The guilty look grew even more intense, followed by a quivering lip. Before he could burst out sobbing, Wally gathered the boy up and started rocking him, petting his hair and rubbing his back. In between the hiccups and tears the boy admitted he’d runaway from his babysitter because he’d thought he could find his mom. He hadn’t realized that the bad guy would show up and start exploding things.

“There, there,” Wally said. “Nothing bad happened. Your mommy’ll just be happy you’re safe. Tell me where she works so I can drop you off.”

Monty told him the name of some sort of TV station and after thinking about it for a bit, Wally remembered where it was. Holding out his hand, he waited for the boy to take it and they walked out of the park. Together.

oOo

Her name was Linda Park and Wally couldn’t stop looking at her as she cooed all over Monty. Her son.

Black hair, almond shaped eyes. Amber. Olive skin. Slender. In her late twenties. Not traditionally beautiful but gorgeous in her own way. There was something about her that sent his heart racing.

Wally was blushing and he couldn’t stop.

“Thank you again,” she breathed as he hoisted Monty up into her arms. Her eyes were wide and filled with gratitude. “I don’t know what else to say or do to show you how much I appreciate it.”

Awkwardly, Wally giggled - stopping himself midway through said giggle - and rubbed his arm. “Aw, it was nothing. Really. I’m just glad I could bring him back safely.”

“He’s like the Flash! A hero!” Monty said. He looked over at him in wonder. “He’s my new favorite person, mom. Can he come over?”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” she said just as Wally gave Monty a look and opened his mouth to decline. “I’ll make dinner. It’ll be my way of saying thanks.”

This felt strange. But he wanted. He wanted so bad. Still… “I don’t know…”

“Please. Monty would really appreciate it.”

“…okay.”

She set Monty down and escorted them to the lounge where people were relaxing and making light conversation. Monty insisted that Wally sit next to him and they entertained themselves as Linda wrapped up her work day. A conversation to his right caught Wally’s attention and he found himself leaning in to listen.

“…Flash took out Captain Boomerang.”

“Hasn’t Flash been with the Justice League for the last two days?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I think it’s some new speedster. Remember the time when that Reverse-Flash or whatever was walking around?”

“Think that guy’s back?”

“Witnesses say he was too young.”

“Ready to go?” Linda said, startling Wally out of his eavesdropping. He blushed madly and scrambled to his feet. She only smiled and took Monty’s hand in hers. Her purse was tucked neatly beneath her arm. She smelled nice. A seed in his mind. Her voice drifted through his head. “I have a car. My place isn’t too far away. Follow me.”

oOo

Everything is different. 

My existence is…

oOo

He dreamed that night of Linda and Monty. And a silhouette of a little girl with pigtails and a phantom boy. He couldn’t remember their names but Wally was sure he loved them. Just as he was sure he loved Linda and Monty. They were his whole world and the emotions scared him.

How can he feel this way when he’d just met them?

The dinner had been nice. Linda had kept him in her house as long as possible. Wally suspected she knew he didn’t really have a home to call his own. She’d called him out more than once on the thinness of his frame. He didn’t mind though. She’d sounded genuinely concerned and it warmed him to have someone care.

Monty showed him his PSP. He tried to teach him to play it but Wally sucked at it.

After it had gotten too late, Wally had excused himself but Linda had insisted that he could come over whenever he liked. Monty had supported her all the way, even asking that Wally come so he can teach him to play on the Playstation, and Wally didn’t have the heart to deny Monty anything.

“See you tomorrow?” Monty had called.

Wally smiled at the memory.

oOo

It seemed that after that fist encounter with Boomerang guy, Wally couldn’t escape the name of the Flash. He suddenly saw it everywhere and he was curious. Another person who ran as fast as him? Could they be related? Or was this a common thing here? He sort of wanted to find this Flash and ask him himself but the man was constantly going between Central City and something called the Justice League. Plus, he was fast. Wally was fast but…he was scared to go as fast as this Flash.

Never again…

oOo

He bumped into the hotdog cart guy again. Or rather, the man bumped into him. He stopped him in the middle of downtown by resting a hand on his shoulder. Wally tensed but when he turned he was greeted with a brilliant smile. He quickly stole a glance behind the man’s back. He didn’t have his cart with him. Instead he had a backpack that looked ready to burst.

“It’s you!” he exclaimed and proceeded to look him over. Wally was sure that the man would not fail to notice that he was still wearing the same clothes from five days ago. Although thanks to Linda and Jaden, he didn’t look dirty. Or smell.

The young man raised an eyebrow. “Either you’re one lazy kid or…”

Wally just put on the most innocent face he could. It made the other shake his head but he didn’t take his arm off. Instead, he took hold of his bicep and said, “I know a coffee shop. Let’s talk, man.”

“Uh, I don’t even know you.”

“Heheh, yeah. Name’s Seymour Anderson. You?”

“…Wally.”

“That’s cool man. I won’t force you into anything. You’re kind of a funny guy.”

“How so?” Wally asked as he kept up with the young man, making him release his arm and walked next to him. Seymour was sort of short but he took long strides and he kept a fast pace. Wally didn’t mind and for the first time, took a good look at him.

Dark skinned. Black eyes. Thick glasses. Buzzed head. Early twenties. He was wearing a plain white shirt with a green sweater and jeans. The backpack gave him away as a student as well as the math book his was carrying under his arm.

“Well I knew you were lying to me when you gave me your age and I could sort of tell that you didn’t really have a place to stay. Although you’re looking better now. Hope things got better for you.” He gave him an expectant look.

Wally offered him a small smile. “Yeah, actually. I have…friends.”

“That’s good. I mean, I’m a poor college kid so I can’t offer you much but if you need a place to crash, my roommate moved out so I have a spare bed.” They arrived at the Coffee Bean but Wally had to stop him before they entered.

Giving him a quizzical look Wally asked, “Wait. Is this some sort of potential roommate interview?”

Seymour laughed and rubbed his neck with a hand (a habit that Wally recognized meant he was nervous) and held the door open with the other. “Uh, maybe. To be fair though,” he added as they walked into the coffee smelling café, “I’ve gotten a lot of calls. Desperate calls. But, for some reason, I like you.” He didn’t sound so sure and he frowned as he said that last part. 

Wally could relate. Many things he felt confused him because most of the time he felt like he knew certain things but at the same time he didn’t. 

They got in line to order.

“What do you want?” Seymour asked.

Wally suddenly realized he didn’t have any money and immediately tried to duck out. “Uh, nothing for me.”

But Seymour would have none of that. “Don’t sweat it mean. I’m paying.” When he saw that Wally still felt unsure, Seymour turned to the barista and said, “Two cappuccinos. Extra cream on mine.”

“You really don’t have -,”

“Will that be all sir?” 

“Yup.”

“I’ll pay you back,” Wally said after a bit. They found a table by a window and made themselves comfortable.

Seymour just laughed. “It’s cool. It’s just one cup of coffee. Plus, if you’re going to be my new roommate, we should get along and stuff. Right?”

He bit his lip and looked down at his hands. There was dirt between his nails and he curled his fingers away inside his fist. “I can’t pay. I don’t - I don’t have money. Or a job.”

“That’s fine. I’ll help you get a job.”

Okay, this was moving on to beyond unreal. “Why would you do that for me?” he asked. “You don’t even know me.”

“I feel like I know you. Vaguely.”

“What?” Wally said sitting up straighter. 

Seymour shifted awkwardly in his seat and looked like he wasn’t sure he wanted to say anything but then he sighed and tapped his fingers against the table. He leaned in closer, keeping his voice low, “Okay, this is going to sound weird but ever since I bumped into you, I can’t help but feel like I know you from somewhere. Like, your face man. Not only that but…there’s this feeling. And the feeling is telling me that I have to help you.”

They stared at each other. In the back of his mind, Wally couldn’t help but recall an image of white and green. Cyclops. Ocular vision. After a minute, they seemed to come to a mutual agreement and settled back just as their coffee was brought around.

“Alright,” Wally relented after he took a sip of his drink. “I could use some help. After all, I’m sort of a stranger to these parts.”

Seymour held out his hand to shake and Wally took it with a hopeful grin. “Well Wally, let me start out by telling you what you need to do to get a job. New clothes. And a hair cut. Like, seriously what are you growing up there? A bunch of fox pups?”

oOo

They moved in not long after and Linda was relieved. Seymour found him a job as an ice cream guy at the local creamery. It was nice. His boss was enthusiastic and supportive of some of his more experimental ice cream concoctions. 

oOo

A couple days went by where he didn’t think about anything that didn’t involve Linda, Monty, Seymour, and work. It all came crashing back though when he saw her. It had been a really big coincidence that he’d been walking past a TV display window. If it hadn’t been for that, he might have missed it entirely.

A red headed woman with green eyes. She was on the news. He wondered how he’d missed it before.

Iris West. Central City reporter.

It had sent a chain reaction through his nervous system and his mind had been flooded with early memories of a childhood he couldn’t remember or knew he’d had. They connected to other memories, primarily with those of a portly man and another red headed woman. 

Rudy and Mary West. His parents. His real parents. 

Blue Valley. 

Central City.

He collapsed on the sidewalk, holding his head and ignoring the curious glances he was getting from walker bys. He laughed, almost hysterically, and curled into himself, tears threatening to fall from his face.

Wally West. That was his name. How had he forgotten? How could he have possibly forgotten?

He stayed on the sidewalk a good hour or two just going over again in his head the new memories that had been set free. He felt happy. Light. Like if he was walking on clouds. He wanted to tell someone but so far he’d managed to keep everything a secret from Linda, Monty, and Seymour. It was better this way. He wasn’t sure what had gone down. Whatever it was that had made him loose his memories, it couldn’t be anything good and he didn’t want to put them in any danger.

They were like his family now.

He crawled to his feet and checked the time. It was getting late.

He didn’t tell Seymour about his plans, only asking him how his day was. 

‘Boring as always,’ he’d answered as he’d dumped his school books on the floor and flopped on the cushioned couch. ‘Calculus ain’t a walk in the park. Plus the teacher’s a total snore.’

‘I could help,’ Wally had volunteered almost before he could stop himself.

And Seymour learned that day that Wally was actually a genius when it came to calculations.

When Linda asked him the next morning if anything interesting had happened, Wally had immediately changed the subject and had somehow managed to weasel his way to Monty's side. He spent the rest of that morning playing with Monty and helping Linda cook and wash the dishes.

So now, here he was. The building looked big and intimidating and it didn’t help that he was jittery with nerves. He wanted to run. Not away but in circles. He wanted to scream. Hope bubbled inside him and instead he sat outside by the fountain, waiting for her to walk out. It took a couple of hours. He had gotten there kind of early. He’d flipped his fifth penny into the water when he saw her.

She was just as he imagined her and it warmed him so much he couldn’t stop the smile from breaking across his face. She was checking her watch, pushing her hair behind her ear. Something drew her attention and he watched her take a step. His heart fluttered and he immediately scrambled to his feet, wanting to race over and hug her tightly around the waist. He wanted to bury his face in her warmth and hear her say his name. He needed to hear her say his name.

“Wally!”

His heart soured only for it to plummet at the sight of someone else running to her. Someone else getting hugged. Someone else laughing with her. Someone else getting his hair ruffled. 

Someone that wasn’t him.

He watched this imposter lead his aunt away to a car. A man leaned against it, a gentile smile on his face. He was blonde but Wally really didn’t care. He was too caught up in the whirlwind of emotions that had taken a hold of him.

His legs felt weak. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t breath. He staggered away, vision blurred, heart pounding, ears pulsing.

Wally’s world crashed and burned.

oOo

“What’s wrong?” Linda immediately asked, alarmed, as she opened the door and saw him standing there.

Wally probably looked as bad as he felt and he couldn’t help the new bout of tears that were coming. So he did the only reasonable thing. He fell into Linda’s warm arms and clung to her as he cried into her shoulder. Surprised, all she could do was hold on tight to him and try to comfort him the best that she could. 

“Shush, its okay,” she whispered and ran her long fingers through his mop of red hair. “Everything is going to be okay.” She maneuvered him to the sofa where she made him more comfortable. 

He basked in the attention and the familiar aura of protection and safety that Linda provided, calming down slowly. It was a while before he could speak.

“Thanks.”

He made no move to pull away though.

She turned to look at him with her almond eyes. “You never have to thank me for anything Wally.” She reached over and placed her hand on his cheek. He instinctively leaned into her touch, closing his eyes momentarily. The pad of her thumb gently wiped a stray tear from his face. “Look at me, Wally.” And he did because he could never deny her anything. She leaned in and their foreheads touched. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” Wally chocked and held on to her even tighter. And it was true. He loved her with every fiber of his being. His soul ached to be nearer to her. 

“You felt it too, huh?” she said their voices soft as if fearing that if she spoke any louder, the spell would break. He nodded against her and she chuckled lightly. “I know you.” She pulled back a bit so she could gaze into his electric green eyes. “I know you.” 

They leaned in close and Wally felt his eyes droop. 

“Linda,” he said, softly, “I have to tell you something.”

“Mmm?” and their noses touched. 

She felt his moist breath on her cheek as he said, “I think there’s something wrong with me.” 

She pulled back abruptly and looked at him with a serious expression. He reached to clutch at her hands and she drew their entwined fingers to her lap. 

“Tell me everything.”

oOo

When Monty was dropped off after playing with a friend, he couldn’t have expected to walk in to his mom and Wally cuddling. He stood, staring in shock by the door, until his mom noticed him and called him over.

“What’s happening?” he asked looking over to Wally for answers. He knew something was different. He could see it in the way that the two of them moved and looked at each other. It wasn’t bad but Monty wanted to know what it was. He didn’t like being in the dark. 

His mom sighed and patted the spot between her and Wally. He walked over and plopped down, waiting expectantly for answers. He felt her pull a strand of hair from his face and said, “Monty. Honey. When you said Wally was like the Flash…”

This perked him up. “He’s fast! Did he show you? Did you?” he said turning back to Wally. Then he remembered what he’d said and immediately went to cover his mouth. Oops, he wasn’t suppose to mention anything until Wally gave the go ahead. 

Instead of getting mad though, he chuckled at his enthusiasm and pulled him into a hug. Monty was confused at this show of affection but let it happen mostly because that’s just how Wally was. In fact, Monty encouraged this by reaching over and hugging him back. 

“I told your mom everything.”

“What do you mean everything?” Monty asked. Confused. What more was there to tell?

Wally gave him a sad smile. “Everything I remember. Oh, God you have no idea how much I’ve missed this,” and he hugged him again except this time he pulled his mom into the hug too and they sat there, just hugging each other for who knows how long. But Monty didn’t mind.

He’d always wondered what it would be like to have a dad. He let it go on for another minute before he couldn’t keep his tongue to himself.

“So…are you going to tell me the secret too?”

**Author's Note:**

> There you go. Tell me what you think. I have one more chapter that I wrote but it's shorter than this one and feels incomplete. I might try to at least finish that chapter before letting the story die.


End file.
